NYSAMC members with Public Advocate Letitia James on a construction site. (Photo via Kings County Politics)

The New York State Association of Minority Contractors (NYSAMC) celebrates its 20th anniversary on Nov. 30 with a dinner awards gala, and the organization’s leader, Joseph Coello Sr., says the group is more committed than ever to securing more business for minority business owners, reports Stephen Witt in Kings County Politics.

“NYSAMC has been a fierce supporter and advocate for minority contractors in New York State over the last 20-plus years. The playing field has been mildly tilled as we struggle to address that New York City spends $17 billion on goods and services, but less than four percent goes towards MWBEs,” said Coello, who has been in construction for over 20 years.

“There is still so much more work for us to do. I am excited and energized with new initiatives as part of our strategic plan. We will be expanding membership to include greater representation from Asian and Hispanic-owned businesses,” he added.

The group, the New York State chapter of the Washington, D.C.-headquartered National Association of Minority Contractors, has its office at the Brooklyn Navy Yard and has a membership of about 52 contractors in construction trades including electrical, plumbing, concrete, rebar, demolition, carpentry, and painting. The gala will be held at Terrace on the Park, 52-11 111th St. in Flushing Meadows, Queens.

As the White House urged Congress to withhold $600 million in nutrition assistance to Puerto Rico, officials responded angrily that this is only the latest in a series of President Trump’s attempts to stop the flow of federal aid to the island, El Nuevo Día reports. Political analyst Domingo Emanuelli found the Trump government's actions “barbaric,” and urged Puerto Rican Republicans to reconsider their allegiance. San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz said: “I shouted against Trump’s abuses from the start while others were chummy with him. Trump is not the plantation owner and we are not his slaves.” Link to original story →

The Indigenous Peoples March being held in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 18, a day ahead of the Women's March, will bring together groups from Puerto Rico to South America and Central America, reports Remezcla, to focus attention on issues from voter suppression to human trafficking to police brutality to what is called an “environmental holocaust” by activists. “I think it’s a collective cry for help because we’re in a time of crisis that we have not seen in a very long time,” says Nathalie Farfan, an Ecuadorean Indigenous woman and event organizer. Link to original story →

After vowing to create a more inclusive school system in North Carolina, the Durham Board of Education introduced a new department of second language services to serve newly-arrived immigrants who don’t speak English as a first language, Qué Pasa Noticias reports. One of the main goals of the initiative will be to coordinate a translation and interpretation system to help families participate in their children’s education. “As our Latinx population keeps growing we keep opening our schools’ doors to those arriving from all over the world,” said Superintendent Pascal Mubenga. Link to original story →

With Sen. Kamala Harris expected to announce her decision on a presidential run, The American Bazaar asks members of the Indian-American community about the potential candidacy of the California native. While some celebrated the possibility of Harris, who is of Jamaican-Indian descent, running amid the current political atmosphere, others say the country is "still not ready for a female president and certainly not a non-white." Link to original story →